Author Topic: Game Sack  (Read 90077 times)

Mathius

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1275 on: January 21, 2014, 08:12:07 AM »
You don't really need any vintage computer skills beyond loading floppy disks. They'll load at power up or if RESET is pressed. You just need to make sure you have the correct disks in the system and this is where it can get tricky as some games have many disks that are labeled as Disk 1, Disk 2, Data 1, Data 2 etc etc and that can be confusing. Basically you'll need Data 1 and Disk 1 to start the game and then you'll eventually need to swap out for Disk 2 but leaving Data 1 in and eventually when you get to a new town or area you'll need to change the data disk. Lagoon was a bitch. It took me a while to learn how to boot up Ys 3 and this is how I found all this out.

That can be a real pain in the ass. Not one of the system's endearing traits.
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SuperDeadite

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1276 on: January 21, 2014, 11:51:56 AM »
Easy as hell if you read the manuals. :)
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kazekirifx

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1277 on: January 21, 2014, 11:55:30 AM »
You don't really need any vintage computer skills beyond loading floppy disks. They'll load at power up or if RESET is pressed. You just need to make sure you have the correct disks in the system and this is where it can get tricky as some games have many disks that are labeled as Disk 1, Disk 2, Data 1, Data 2 etc etc and that can be confusing. Basically you'll need Data 1 and Disk 1 to start the game and then you'll eventually need to swap out for Disk 2 but leaving Data 1 in and eventually when you get to a new town or area you'll need to change the data disk. Lagoon was a bitch. It took me a while to learn how to boot up Ys 3 and this is how I found all this out.

You forgot about keys you have to hold during start up to enable midi, high memory mode, etc. (which you mentioned in the video). I don't know how anyone does it without having the original manuals and being able to read them, frankly.

Try getting into PC-9801 gaming. Then you oftentimes have to deal with required installs, boot disks you have to make manually using elements of your own system software, and tweaks you have to make to the config.sys and autoexec.bat. And, since it was such a long-lived line of computer architecture, you have to take into account the system requirements and whether your machine meets them, or is so much newer than the game that the programmers never expected it to be run on such a fast processor, or on such a large hard drive. It all just leads to stuff not running correctly, and oftentimes having to come up with clever workarounds on your own. It's basically like relearning the ins and outs of the American"IBM Compatibles" of the early 90's, except with different rules, and in Japanese. For me, trying to get a game to run can sometimes be part of the fun. I wouldn't recommend getting into PC-9801 if that's not your idea of "fun".

Other Japanese retro PC's are relatively straight forward, and similar to what you described above. X68k, MSX, PC-8801, X1, FM7. FM Towns maybe qualifies as medium difficulty if you delve into games that don't just simply boot from CD... Okay. I'll shut up now.

SuperDeadite

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1278 on: January 21, 2014, 12:15:47 PM »
Towns can get quite difficult as it has some rather odd quirks to deal with.  Even after reading the manual, getting Illusion City to boot on my Fresh was one of the most ass-backwards processes I've ever seen.

Oh, by the way I saw you Ace issues post on toku.  Remove the battery, let the system sit unpowered a few days to clear out the corruption.  Then it should work fine again.  If not you have other issues...
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kazekirifx

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1279 on: January 21, 2014, 02:13:23 PM »
Towns can get quite difficult as it has some rather odd quirks to deal with.  Even after reading the manual, getting Illusion City to boot on my Fresh was one of the most ass-backwards processes I've ever seen.

Yeah. A lot of things suck about Towns for me. I like the crazy-looking tower design of the early models, so that's what I bought after I decided a Marty with a broken floppy drive just wasn't cutting it. But there are actually a lot of games that run too slowly with the slower processor speed, even if you increase the RAM so that they will start. Also, the CD-ROM and floppy drives don't seem very well-made, or reliable. I'd get something newer like the Fresh, but the design just looks like a typical PC from the late 90's. Just so boring-looking from a collector's perspective.

Oh, by the way I saw you Ace issues post on toku.  Remove the battery, let the system sit unpowered a few days to clear out the corruption.  Then it should work fine again.  If not you have other issues...

Thanks! Do you think it would be better to replace the battery or just remove it entirely for now? I'm only using floppy drives right now, so I'm fine as long as it can boot from floppy.

Anyway, we should probably be discussing all of this over at Tokugawa. That forum could use some lovin', and we're probably just derailing this gamesack topic.

SuperDeadite

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1280 on: January 21, 2014, 10:35:06 PM »
I'm not registered at Toku, just lurk.  That place is mostly warez/emu stuff.  On rare occasions they find a peke doujin I don't have, but mostly I'm the one who's suppling these days. :P

Remove it, and let the computer sit untouched for a week.  This will be sure to drain you're corrupted SRAM.  In fact if you leave the system in stand-bye mode, SRAM will be kept powered and all switch settings are saved, the battery is only used when fully powered off.   The complicated software SRAM reset is pointless really, just pull the battery, unplug the machine for a week.  As long as you have a working Human68k disk to run switch, you're fine.

For Towns I have my Fresh as the main workhorse, a UX20 for looks and fun, and a Car Marty because it was cheap lol.
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kazekirifx

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1281 on: January 23, 2014, 12:26:56 PM »
Joe, BTW, do you know how to run in Etoille Princesse? I didn't see you doing it in the video.

If I remember correctly you get the item that lets you run in the second stage. Then you can press and hold the jump button a second time in mid-air which will allow you to move faster for the remainder of the jump and run after you land. Weird, I know, but it works. It's a fun game, and even more fun when you can move around quickly when you need to. Maybe my favorite title overall for the X68k (bonus points for being a platform exclusive).

I will also pick Etoille Princesse for my favorite FM soundtrack, to answer your question earlier.

Joe Redifer

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1282 on: January 23, 2014, 05:27:58 PM »
I had no clue what all of the items did except for the one that replenishes your life. I don't think I would like to run in that game since you're so close to the character and can't see very far in front of you. Running would mean almost certain damage by a suddenly-appearing enemy.

kazekirifx

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1283 on: January 24, 2014, 10:12:58 AM »
I had no clue what all of the items did except for the one that replenishes your life. I don't think I would like to run in that game since you're so close to the character and can't see very far in front of you. Running would mean almost certain damage by a suddenly-appearing enemy.


You might be surprised. Check it out.
(Can't figure out how to link to a timestamped video on this forum. Skip to 1:58.)

The running is especially useful when you need to backtrack.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 10:19:31 AM by kazekirifx »

Joe Redifer

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1284 on: January 25, 2014, 11:05:37 AM »
I was never in much of a hurry.

On a side note, I wish the X68000 ran games at 60fps instead of 55fps.

Black Tiger

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1285 on: January 25, 2014, 11:22:57 AM »
On a side note, I wish the X68000 ran games at 60fps instead of 55fps.

That is very unfortunate. :|
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SuperDeadite

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1286 on: January 25, 2014, 11:28:55 AM »
Original monitors were basically arcade monitors.  Hence this was not an issue during it's lifetime.
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Xak

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1287 on: January 25, 2014, 07:50:00 PM »
i dont mind 55 fps
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Tatsujin

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1288 on: January 25, 2014, 09:47:22 PM »
i dont mind 55 fps

yeah sure, you dont even know what that is.
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_joshuaTurbo

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Re: Game Sack
« Reply #1289 on: January 26, 2014, 01:22:59 AM »
i dont mind 55 fps

yeah sure, you dont even know what that is.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

faps per second?